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“Ad”mission of guilt
“Do I stop him?”
Newspaper joins war against drugs
Have I got a deal for you!
Identifying what’s right
Is “Enough!” too much?
Issues of bench and bar
Knowing when to say “when!”
Stop! This is a warning…
Strange bedfellows
Gambling with being first
Making the right ethical choice can mean winning by losing
Playing into a hoaxster’s hands
“They said it first”
Is it news, ad or informercial?
Letter to the editor
Games publishers play
An offer you can refuse
An oily gift horse
Public service . . . or “news-mercials”
As life passes by
Bringing death close
A careless step, a rash of calls
Distortion of reality?
Of life and death
Naked came the rider
“A photo that had to be used”
A picture of controversy
Freedom of political expression
Brother, can you spare some time?
Columnist’s crusade OK with Seattle
Kiss and tell
The making of a govenor
Past but not over
Of publishers and politics
To tell the truth
Truth & Consequences
“Truth boxes”
When journalists become flacks
A book for all journalists who believe
The Billboard Bandit
Food for thought
Grand jury probe
Judgement on journalists
Lessons from an ancient spirit
Lying for the story . . .
Newspaper nabs Atlanta’s Dahmer
One way to a good end
Over the fence
“Psst! Pass it on!”
Rules aren’t neat on Crack Street
“Someone had to be her advocate”
Trial by Fire
Trial by proximity
Using deceit to get the truth
When advocacy is okay
Witness to an execution
Are we our brother’s keeper? . . . You bet we are!
Betraying a trust
Broken promise
“But I thought you were . . . ”
“Can I take it back?”
Competitive disadvantage
Getting it on tape
The great quote question
How to handle suicide threats
Let’s make a deal!
A phone-y issue?
The source wanted out
The story that died in a lie
Thou shalt not break thy promise
Thou shalt not concoct thy quote
Thou shalt not trick thy source
Too good to be true
Vulnerable sources and journalistic responsibility
The way things used to be . . .
When a story just isn’t worth it
When a story source threatens suicide
When public should remain private
The ethics of “outing”
“For personal reasons”
Intruding on grief
Intruding on private pain
Privacy case settled against TV station
Seeing both sides
Two views on “outing”
Unwanted spotlight
Whose right is it anyway?
Other views on the Christine Busalacchi case
The death of a soldier
Firing at Round Rock
A kinder, gentler news media
Operation: Buy yourself a parade
Rallying ’round the flag
“Salute to military” ads canceled
Tell the truth, stay alive
The windbags of war
Absent with no malice
Anonymity for rape victims . . .
An exception to the rule
The boy with a broken heart
Civilly suitable
Creating a victim
“Everyone already knew”
An exceptional case
Innocent victims
Minor infraction
Names make news
Naming a victim
Naming “johns”
Profile of controversy
What the media all missed
Punishing plagiarizers
Sounding an alarm on AIDS
Suffer the children
Anchor’s away
The day the earth stood still
Doing your own ethics audit
Good guys, bad guys and TV news
Is it just me, or . . . ?
The Post’s exam answer story
TV station “teases” suicide
Yanking Doonesbury
The year in review
Colorado media’s option play
Deadly lesson
Deciding which critically ill person gets coverage
When journalists play God . . .
A delicate balance
The Fallen Servant
Handle with care
It’s the principle, really
Killing news
Maybe what seems so right is wrong
On the line
Protest and apology after Daily Beacon story
Red flag for badgering
Sharing the community’s grief
The “super-crip” stereotype
“And then he said *&%*!!!”
When big is not better
When the KKK comes calling
Not the straight story
Agreeing to disagree
All in the family
Family feud
Author! Author!
The Bee that roared
Brewing controversy
Building barriers
Other views from librarians
The ethics of information selling
Close to home
Family ties
How now, sacred cow?
The ties that bind
“Like any other story”
When your newspaper is the news
Not friendly fire
Overdraft on credibility?
The problem is the writing
Written rules can be hazardous
Project censored, sins of omission and the hardest “W” of all – “why”
Risking the newsroom’s image
The Media School

Ethics Case Studies

Ethics cases online.

This set of cases has been created for teachers, researchers, professional journalists and consumers of news to help them explore ethical issues in journalism. The cases raise a variety of ethical problems faced by journalists, including such issues as privacy, conflict of interest, reporter- source relationships, and the role of journalists in their communities.

The initial core of this database comes from a series of cases developed by Barry Bingham, Jr., and published in his newsletter, FineLine. The school is grateful to Bingham for his permission to make these cases available to a wider audience.

You may download cases for classes, research or personal use. Permission is granted for academic use of these cases, including inclusion in course readers for specific college courses. This permission does not extend to the republication of the cases in books, journals or electronic form.

Note: We are indebted to Professor Emeritus David Boeyink, who developed this project several years ago.

Aiding law enforcement

“Ad”mission of guilt: Court-ordered ads raise ethical questions
“Do I stop him?”: Reporter’s arresting question is news
Fairness: A casualty of the anti-drug crusade
Newspaper joins war against drugs: Standard-Times publishes photos of all suspected drug offenders
Have I got a deal for you!: The line between cooperation and collusion
Identifying what’s right: Photographer’s ID used in hostage release
Is “Enough!” too much?: Editors split on anti-drug coupons
Issues of bench and bar: In this case, a TV reporter is the judge
Knowing when to say “when!”: Drawing the line at cooperating with authorities
Stop! This is a warning . . . : Suppressing news at police request
Strange Bedfellows: Federal agents in a TV newsroom

Being first

Gambling with being first: The media drive to score on the Isiah Thomas story
Playing into a hoaxster’s hands: How the Virginia media got suckered
“They said it first”: Is that reason for going for the story?

Bottom-line decisions

Is it news, ad or infomercial?: The line between news and advertising is going, going . . .
Games publishers play: Allowing an advertiser to call the shots
An offer you can refuse: The selling of Cybill to the Enquirer
An oily gift horse: saying “No!” to Exxon
Public service. . .or “news-mercials”: The blending of television news and advertising

Controversial photos

As life passes by: A journalist’s role: watch and wait
Bringing death close: Publishing photographs of human tragedy
A careless step, a rash of calls: “Unusual” photo of AIDS walkathon raises hackles”
Distortion of reality?: “Punk for Peace” photograph draws fire
Of life and death: Photos capture woman’s last moments
“A photo that had to be used”: Anatomy of a newspaper’s decision
A picture of controversy: Pulitzer photos show diverse editorial standards

Covering politics

Freedom of political expression: Do journalists forfeit their right?
Brother, can you spare some time?: TV stations give candidates air time
Columnist’s crusade OK with Seattle Times
Kiss and tell: Publishing details of a mayor’s personal life
The making of a governor: How media fantasy swayed an election
Past but not over: When history collides with the Present
Of publishers and politics: Byline protest threatened at Star Tribune
To tell the truth: Why I didn’t; why I regret it
Truth & Consequences: The public’s right to know . . . at what cost?
“Truth boxes”: Media monitoring of TV campaign ads
When journalists become flacks: Two views on what to do and when to do it

Getting the story

A book for all journalists who believe: Accuracy is our highest ethical debate
The Billboard Bandit: Did the newspaper get graffiti on its reputation
Food for thought: You are what you eat . . . and do
Grand jury probe: TV journalists indicted for illegal dogfight
Judgment on journalists: Do they defiantly put themselves “above the law?”
Lessons from an ancient spirit: Why I participated in a peyote ritual
Lying for the story . . . :Or things they don’t teach in journalism school
Newspaper nabs Atlanta’s Dahmer: Another predator who should’ve been stopped: Was it homophobia?
One way to a good end: Reporter cuts corners to test capital drug program
Over the fence: A case of crossing the line for a story
“Psst! Pass it on!”: Why are journalists spreading rumors?
Rules aren’t neat on Crack Street: Journalists know the rules; they also know that the rules don’t always apply when confronted with life-threatening situations
“Someone had to be her advocate”: A newspaper’s crusade to keep a child’s death from being forgotten
Trial by Fire: Boy “hero” story tests media
Trial by proximity: How close is too close for a jury and a reporter?
Using deceit to get the truth: When there’s just no other way
When advocacy is okay: Access is an acceptable journalist’s cause
White lies: Bending the truth to expose injustice
Witness to an execution: KQED sues to videotape capital punishment

Handling sources

Are we our brother’s keeper? . . . You bet we are!
Betraying a trust: Our story wronged a naive subject
Broken Promise: Breaching a reporter-source confidence
“But I thought you were . . .”: When a source doesn’t know you are a reporter
“Can I take it back?”: Why we told our source ‘yes’
Competitive disadvantage: Business blindsided by unnamed sources
Getting it on tape: What if you don’t tell them?
The great quote question: How much tampering with quotations can journalists ethically do?
Let’s make a deal!: The dangers of trading with sources
A phone-y issue?: Caller ID raises confidentiality questions
The source wanted out: Why our decision was ‘no’
The story that died in a lie: Questions about truthfulness kill publication
Thou shalt not break thy promise: Supreme Court rules on betraying sources’ anonymity
Thou shalt not concoct thy quote: Supreme Court decides on the rules of the quotation game
Thou shalt not trick thy source: Many a slip twixt the promise and the page
Too good to be true: Blowing the whistle on a lying source
Vulnerable sources and journalistic responsibility: Are we our brother’s keeper?
The way things used to be . . . : Who says this new “objectivity” is better?
When a story just isn’t worth it: Holding information to protect a good source
When a story source threatens suicide: “I’m going to kill myself!”

Invading privacy

The ethics of “outing”: Breaking the silence code on homosexuality
“For personal reasons”: Balancing privacy with the right to know
Intruding on grief: Does the public really have a “need to know?”
Intruding on private pain: Emotional TV segment offers hard choice
Seeing both sides: A personal and professional dilemma
Two views on “outing”: When the media do it for you
Two views on “outing”: When you do it yourself
Unwanted Spotlight: When private people become part of a public story
Whose right is it anyway?: Videotape of accident victim raises questions about rights to privacy

Military Issues

The death of a soldier: Hometown decision for hometown hero
Firing at Round Rock: Editor says “unpatriotic” story led to dismissal
A kinder, gentler news media?: Post-war coverage shows sensitivity to families
Operation: Buy yourself a parade: New York papers pitch in for hoopla celebrating hide-and-seek war
Rallying ’round the flag: The press as U.S. propagandists
“Salute to military” ads canceled
Tell the truth, stay alive: In covering a civil war, honesty is the only policy
The windbags of war: Television’s gung-ho coverage of the Persian Gulf situation

Naming newsmakers

Absent with no malice: Omitting part of the story for a reason
Anonymity for rape victims . . . : should the rules change?
An exception to the rule: a decision to change names
The boy with a broken heart: Special problems when juveniles are newsmakers
Civilly suitable: If law requires less, should media reveal more?
Creating a victim: Plot for a fair story may not be foolproof
“Everyone already knew”: A weak excuse for abandoning standards
An exceptional case: Hartford Courant names rape victim
Innocent victims: Naming the guilty . . . but guiltless
Minor infraction: A newspaper’s case for breaking the law
Names make news: One newspaper debates when and why
Naming a victim: When do you break your own rule?
Naming “johns”: Suicide raises ethical questions about policy
Profile of controversy: New York Times reporter defends story on Kennedy rape claimant
What the media all missed: Times reporter finally sets record straight on Palm Beach rape profile
Punishing plagiarizers: Does public exposure fit the sin?
Sounding an alarm on AIDS: Spreading the word about someone who’s spreading the disease
Suffer the Children: Journalists are guilty of child misuse

Sensitive news topics

Colorado media’s option play: Most passed; did they also fumble?
Deadly lesson: Warning about sexual asphyxiation
A delicate balance: Mental breakdowns & news coverage
The Fallen Servant: When a hero is not a hero
Handle with care: Priest murder story required extra sensitivity
It’s the principle, really: Timing and people’s money matter, too
Killing news: Responsible coverage of suicides
Maybe what seems so right is wrong: A medical condition media-generated money can’t cure
On the line: A reporter’s job vs. human decency
Red flag for badgering: Ombudsman takes sportswriter to task
Sharing the community’s grief: Little Rock news coverage of three teen-age suicides
Suffer the children: Was story on molestation worth the human cost?
The “super-crip” stereotype: Press victimization of disabled people
“And then he said *&%*!!!”: When sexist and vulgar remarks are new
When big is not better: Playing down a story for the community good
When the KKK comes calling: What’s the story?
Not the straight story: Can misleading readers ever be justified?

Workplace issues

Agreeing to disagree: How one newspaper handles off-hour activities
All in the family: When a journalist’s spouse creates a conflict of interests
Family feud: Handling conflicts between journalists and partners
Author! Author!: Ethical dilemmas when reporters turn author
The Bee that roared: Taking a stand for editorial independence
Brewing controversy: The commercialization of Linda Ellerbee
Building barriers: The case against financial involvement
Other views from librarians: When interests of client and newsroom conflict
The ethics of information selling: Problems for library reference services
Close to home: When your newsroom is part of the story
Family Ties: When are relationships relationships relevant?
How now, sacred cow?: United Way’s favored treatment by the media
The ties that bind: Publisher’s link to United Way raises questions
“Like any other story”: Can it be when it’s your union vs. your paper?
When your newspaper is the news: Editors discuss their experiences
Not friendly fire: News director at odds with CBS over story
Overdraft on credibility?: Reporter faces conflict-of-interest charges
Written rules can be hazardous: A lawyer views ethics codes
Project censored, sins of omission and the hardest “W” of all – “why”
Risking the newsroom’s image: How editors, in a good cause, can strain independence

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O'Mathúna D, Iphofen R, editors. Ethics, Integrity and Policymaking: The Value of the Case Study [Internet]. Cham (CH): Springer; 2022. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-15746-2_1

Cover of Ethics, Integrity and Policymaking

Ethics, Integrity and Policymaking: The Value of the Case Study [Internet].

Chapter 1 making a case for the case: an introduction.

Dónal O’Mathúna and Ron Iphofen .

Affiliations

Published online: November 3, 2022.

This chapter agues for the importance of case studies in generating evidence to guide and/or support policymaking across a variety of fields. Case studies can offer the kind of depth and detail vital to the nuances of context, which may be important in securing effective policies that take account of influences not easily identified in more generalised studies. Case studies can be written in a variety of ways which are overviewed in this chapter, and can also be written with different purposes in mind. At the same time, case studies have limitations, particularly when evidence of causation is sought. Understanding these can help to ensure that case studies are appropriately used to assist in policymaking. This chapter also provides an overview of the types of case studies found in the rest of this volume, and briefly summarises the themes and topics addressed in each of the other chapters.

1.1. Judging the Ethics of Research

When asked to judge the ethical issues involved in research or any evidence-gathering activity, any research ethicist worth their salt will (or should) reply, at least initially: ‘It depends’. This is neither sophistry nor evasive legalism. Instead, it is a specific form of casuistry used in ethics in which general ethical principles are applied to the specifics of actual cases and inferences made through analogy. It is valued as a structured yet flexible approach to real-world ethical challenges. Case study methods recognise the complexities of depth and detail involved in assessing research activities. Another way of putting this is to say: ‘Don’t ask me to make a judgement about a piece of research until I have the details of the project and the context in which it will or did take place.’ Understanding and fully explicating a context is vital as far as ethical research (and evidence-gathering) is concerned, along with taking account of the complex interrelationship between context and method (Miller and Dingwall 1997 ).

This rationale lies behind this collection of case studies which is one outcome from the EU-funded PRO-RES Project. 1 One aim of this project was to establish the virtues, values, principles and standards most commonly held as supportive of ethical practice by researchers, scientists and evidence-generators and users. The project team conducted desk research, workshops and consulted throughout the project with a wide range of stakeholders (PRO-RES 2021a ). The resulting Scientific, Trustworthy, and Ethical evidence for Policy (STEP) ACCORD was devised, which all stakeholders could sign up to and endorse in the interests of ensuring any policies which are the outcome of research findings are based upon ethical evidence (PRO-RES 2021b ).

By ‘ethical evidence’ we mean results and findings that have been generated by research and other activities during which the standards of research ethics and integrity have been upheld (Iphofen and O’Mathúna 2022 ). The first statement of the STEP ACCORD is that policy should be evidence-based, meaning that it is underpinned by high-quality research, analysis and evidence (PRO-RES 2021b ). While our topic could be said to be research ethics, we have chosen to refer more broadly to evidence-generating activities. Much debate has occurred over the precise definition of research under the apparent assumption that ‘non-research projects’ fall outside the purview of requirements to obtain ethics approval from an ethics review body. This debate is more about the regulation of research than the ethics of research and has contributed to an unbalanced approach to the ethics of research (O’Mathúna 2018 ). Research and evidence-generating activities raise many ethical concerns, some similar and some distinct. When the focus is primarily on which projects need to obtain what sort of ethics approval from which type of committee, the ethical issues raised by those activities themselves can receive insufficient attention. This can leave everyone involved with these activities either struggling to figure out how to manage complex and challenging ethical dilemmas or pushing ahead with those activities confident that their approval letter means they have fulfilled all their ethical responsibilities. Unfortunately, this can lead to a view that research ethics is an impediment and burden that must be overcome so that the important work in the research itself can get going.

The alternative perspective advocated by PRO-RES, and the authors of the chapters in this volume, is that ethics underpins all phases of research, from when the idea for a project is conceived, all the way through its design and implementation, and on to how its findings are disseminated and put into practice in individual decisions or in policy. Given the range of activities involved in all these phases, multiple types of ethical issues can arise. Each occurs in its own context of time and place, and this must be taken into account. While ethical principles and theories have important contributions to make at each of these points, case studies are also very important. These allow for the normative effects of various assumptions and declarations to be judged in context. We therefore asked the authors of this volume’s chapters to identify various case studies which would demonstrate the ethical challenges entailed in various types of research and evidence-generating activities. These illustrative case studies explore various innovative topics and fields that raise challenges requiring ethical reflection and careful policymaking responses. The cases highlight diverse ethical issues and provide lessons for the various options available for policymaking (see Sect. 1.6 . below). Cases are drawn from many fields, including artificial intelligence, space science, energy, data protection, professional research practice and pandemic planning. The issues are examined in different locations, including Europe, India, Africa and in global contexts. Each case is examined in detail and also helps to anticipate lessons that could be learned and applied in other situations where ethical evidence is needed to inform evidence-based policymaking.

1.2. The Case for Cases

Case studies have increasingly been used, particularly in social science (Exworthy and Powell 2012 ). Many reasons underlie this trend, one being the movement towards evidence-based practice. Case studies provide a methodology by which a detailed study can be conducted of a social unit, whether that unit is a person, an organization, a policy or a larger group or system (Exworthy and Powell 2012 ). The case study is amenable to various methodologies, mostly qualitative, which allow investigations via documentary analyses, interviews, focus groups, observations, and more.

At the same time, consensus is lacking over the precise nature of a case study. Various definitions have been offered, but Yin ( 2017 ) provides a widely cited definition with two parts. One is that a case study is an in-depth inquiry into a real-life phenomenon where the context is highly pertinent. The second part of Yin’s definition addresses the many variables involved in the case, the multiple sources of evidence explored, and the inclusion of theoretical propositions to guide the analysis. While Yin’s emphasis is on the case study as a research method, he identifies important elements of broader relevance that point to the particular value of the case study for examining ethical issues.

Other definitions of case studies emphasize their story or narrative aspects (Gwee 2018 ). These stories frequently highlight a dilemma in contextually rich ways, with an emphasis on how decisions can be or need to be made. Case studies are particularly helpful with ethical issues to provide crucial context and explore (and evaluate) how ethical decisions have been made or need to be made. Classic cases include the Tuskegee public health syphilis study, the Henrietta Lacks human cell line case, the Milgram and Zimbardo psychology cases, the Tea Room Trade case, and the Belfast Project in oral history research (examined here in Chap. 10 ). Cases exemplify core ethical principles, and how they were applied or misapplied; in addition, they examine how policies have worked well or not (Chaps. 2 , 3 and 5 ). Cases can examine ethics in long-standing issues (like research misconduct (Chap. 7 ), energy production (Chap. 8 ), or Chap. 11 ’s consideration of researchers breaking the law), or with innovations in need of further ethical reflection because of their novelty (like extended space flight (Chap. 9 ) and AI (Chaps. 13 and 14 ), with the latter looking at automation in legal systems). These case studies help to situate the innovations within the context of widely regarded ethical principles and theories, and allow comparisons to be made with other technologies or practices where ethical positions have been developed. In doing so, these case studies offer pointers and suggestions for policymakers given that they are the ones who will develop applicable policies.

1.3. Research Design and Causal Inference

Not everyone is convinced of the value of the case study. It must be admitted that they have limitations, which we will reflect on shortly. Yet we believe that others go too far in their criticisms, revealing instead some prejudices against the value of the case (Yin 2017 ). In what has become a classic text for research design, Campbell and Stanley ( 1963 ) have few good words for what they call the ‘One Shot Case Study.’ They rank it below two other ‘pre-experimental’ designs—the One-Group Pretest–Posttest and the Static-Group Comparison—and conclude that case studies “have such a total absence of control to be of almost no scientific value” (Campbell and Stanley 1963 , 6). The other designs have, in turn, a baseline and outcome measure and some degree of comparative analysis which provides them some validity. Such a criticism is legitimate if one prioritises the experimental method as the most superior in terms of effectiveness evidence and, as for Campbell and Stanley, one is striving to assess the effectiveness of educational interventions.

What is missing from that assessment is that different methodologies are more appropriate for different kinds of questions. Questions of causation and whether a particular treatment, policy or educational strategy is more effective than another are best answered by experimental methods. While experimental designs are better suited to explore causal relationships, case studies are more suited to explore “how” and “why” questions (Yin 2017 ). It can be more productive to view different methodologies as complementing one another, rather than examining them in hierarchical terms.

The case study approach draws on a long tradition in ethnography and anthropology: “It stresses the importance of holistic perspectives and so has more of a ‘humanistic’ emphasis. It recognises that there are multiple influences on any single individual or group and that most other methods neglect the thorough understanding of this range of influences. They usually focus on a chosen variable or variables which are tested in terms of their influence. A case study tends to make no initial assumptions about which are the key variables—preferring to allow the case to ‘speak for itself’” (Iphofen et al. 2009 , 275). This tradition has sometimes discouraged people from conducting or using case studies on the assumption that they take massive amounts of time and lead to huge reports. This is the case with ethnography, but the case study method can be applied in more limited settings and can lead to high-quality, concise reports.

Another criticism of case studies is that they cannot be used to make generalizations. Certainly, there are limits to their generalisability, but the same is true of experimental studies. One randomized controlled trial cannot be generalised to the whole population without ensuring that its details are evaluated in the context of how it was conducted.

Similarly, it should not be assumed that generalisability can adequately guide practice or policy when it comes to the specifics of an individual case. A case study should not be used to support statistical generalizations (that the same percentage found in the case will be found in the general public). But a case study can be used to expand and generalize theories and thus have much usefulness. It affords a method of examining the specific (complex) interactions occurring in a case which can only be known from the details. Such an analysis can be carried out for individuals, policies or interventions.

The current COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates the dangers of generalising in the wrong context. Some people have very mild cases of COVID-19 or are asymptomatic. Others get seriously ill and even die. Sometimes people generalise from cases they know and assume they will have mild symptoms. Then they refuse to take the COVID-19 vaccine, basically generalising from similar cases. Mass vaccination is recommended for the sake of the health of the public (generalised health) and to limit the spread of a deadly virus. Cases are reported of people having adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccines, and some people generalise from these that they will not take whatever risks might be involved in receiving the vaccine themselves. It might be theoretically possible to discover which individuals WILL react adversely to immunisation on a population level. But it is highly complex and expensive to do so, and takes an extensive period of time. Given the urgency of benefitting the health of ‘the public’, policymakers have decided that the risks to a sub-group are warranted. Only after the emergence of epidemiological data disclosing negative effects of some vaccines on some individuals will it become more clear which characteristics typify those cases which are likely to experience the adverse effects, and more accurately quantify the risks of experiencing those effects.

Much literature now points to the advantages and disadvantages of case studies (Gomm et al. 2000 ), and how to use them and conduct them with adequate rigour to ensure the validity of the evidence generated (Schell 1992 ; Yin 2011 , 2017 ). At the same time, legitimate critiques have been made of some case studies because they have been conducted without adequate rigor, in unsystematic ways, or in ways that allowed bias to have more influence than evidence (Hammersley 2001 ). Part of the problem here is similar to interviewing, where some will assume that since interviews are a form of conversation, anyone can do it. Case studies have some similarities to stories, but that doesn’t mean they are quick and easy ways to report on events. That view can lead to the situation where “most people feel that they can prepare a case study, and nearly all of us believe we can understand one. Since neither view is well founded, the case study receives a lot of approbation it does not deserve” (Hoaglin et al., cited in Yin 2017 , 16).

Case studies can be conducted and used in a wide range of ways (Gwee 2018 ). Case studies can be used as a research method, as a teaching tool, as a way of recording events so that learning can be applied to practice, and to facilitate practical problem-solving skills (Luck et al. 2006 ). Significant differences exist between a case study that was developed and used in research compared to one used for teaching (Yin 2017 ). A valid rationale for studying a ‘case’ should be provided so that it is clear that the proposed method is suitable to the topic and subject being studied. The unit of study for a case could be an individual person, social group, community, or society. Sometimes that specific case alone will constitute the actual research project. Thus, the study could be of one individual’s experience, with insights and understanding gained of the individual’s situation which could be of use to understand others’ experiences. Often there will be attempts made at a comparison between cases—one organisation being compared to another, with both being studied in some detail, and in terms of the same or similar criteria. Given this variety, it is important to use cases in ways appropriate to how they were generated.

The case study continues to be an important piece of evidence in clinical decision-making in medicine and healthcare. Here, case studies do not demonstrate causation or effectiveness, but are used as an important step in understanding the experiences of patients, particularly with a new or confusing set of symptoms. This was clearly seen as clinicians published case studies describing a new respiratory infection which the world now knows to be COVID-19. Only as case studies were generated, and the patterns brought together in larger collections of cases, did the characteristics of the illness come to inform those seeking to diagnose at the bedside (Borges do Nascimento et al. 2020 ). Indeed case studies are frequently favoured in nursing, healthcare and social work research where professional missions require a focus on the care of the individual and where cases facilitate making use of the range of research paradigms (Galatzer-Levy et al. 2000 ; Mattaini 1996 ; Gray 1998 ; Luck et al. 2006 ).

1.4. Devil’s in the Detail

Our main concern in this collection is not with case study aetiology but rather to draw on the advantages of the method to highlight key ethical issues related to the use of evidence in influencing policy. Thus, we make no claim to causal ‘generalisation’ on the basis of these reports—but instead we seek to help elucidate ethics issues, if even theoretical, and anticipate responses and obstacles in similar situations and contexts that might help decision-making in novel circumstances. A key strength of case studies is their capacity to connect abstract theoretical concepts to the complex realities of practice and the real world (Luck et al. 2006 ). Ethics cases clearly fit this description and allow the contextual details of issues and dilemmas to be included in discussions of how ethical principles apply as policy is being developed.

Since cases are highly focussed on the specifics of the situation, more time can be given over to data gathering which may be of both qualitative and quantitative natures. Given the many variables involved in the ‘real life’ setting, increased methodological flexibility is required (Yin 2017 ). This means seeking to maximise the data sources—such as archives (personal and public), records (such as personal diaries), observations (participant and covert) and interviews (face-to-face and online)—and revisiting all sources when necessary and as case participants and time allows.

1.5. Cases and Policymaking

Case studies allow researchers and practitioners to learn from the specifics of a situation and apply that learning in similar situations. Ethics case studies allow such reflection to facilitate the development of ethical decision-making skills. This volume has major interests in ethics and evidence-generation (research), but also in a third area: policymaking. Cases can influence policymaking, such as how one case can receive widespread attention and become the impetus to create policy that aims to prevent similar cases. For example, the US federal Brady Law was enacted in 1993 to require background checks on people before they purchase a gun (ATF 2021 ). The law was named for White House Press Secretary James Brady, and his case became widely known in the US. He was shot and paralyzed during John Hinckley, Jr.’s 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan. Another example, this time in a research context, was how the Tuskegee Syphilis Study led, after its public exposure in 1971, to the US Department of Health, Education and Welfare appointing an expert panel to examine the ethics of that case. This resulted in federal policymakers enacting the National Research Act in 1974, which included setting up a national commission that published the Belmont Report in 1976. This report continues to strongly influence research ethics practice around the world. These examples highlight the power of a case study to influence policymaking.

One of the challenges for policymakers, though, is that compelling cases can often be provided for opposite sides of an issue. Also, while the Belmont Report has been praised for articulating a small number of key ethical principles, how those principles should be applied in specific instances of research remains an ongoing challenge and a point of much discussion. This is particularly relevant for innovative techniques and technologies. Hence the importance of cases interacting with general principles and leading to ongoing reflection and debate over the applicable cases. At the same time, new areas of research and evidence generation activities will lead to questions about how existing ethical principles and values apply. New case studies can help to facilitate that reflection, which can then allow policymakers to consider whether existing policy should be adapted or whether whole new areas of policy are needed.

Case studies also can play an important role in learning from and evaluating policy. Policymakers tend to focus on practical, day-to-day concerns and with the introduction of new programmes (Exworthy and Peckam 2012 ). Time and resources may be scant when it comes to evaluating how well existing policies are performing or reflecting on how policies can be adapted to overcome shortcomings (Hunter 2003 ). Effective policies may exist elsewhere (historically or geographically) and be more easily adapted to a new context instead of starting policymaking from scratch. Case studies can permit learning from past policies (or situations where policies did not exist), and they can illuminate various factors that should be explored in more detail in the context of the current issue or situation. Chaps. 2 , 3 and 5 in this volume are examples of this type of case study.

1.6. The Moral Gain

This volume reflects the ambiguity of ethical dilemmas in contemporary policymaking. Analyses will reflect current debates where consensus has not been achieved yet. These cases illustrate key points made throughout the PRO-RES project: that ethical decision-making is a fluid enterprise, where values, principles and standards must constantly be applied to new situations, new events and new research developments. The cases illustrate how no ‘one point’ exists in the research process where judgements about ethics can be regarded as ‘final.’ Case studies provide excellent ways for readers to develop important decision-making skills.

Research produces novel products and processes which can have broad implications for society, the environment and relationships. Research methods themselves are modified or applied in new ways and places, requiring further ethical reflection. New topics and whole fields of research develop and require careful evaluation and thoughtful responses. New case studies are needed because research constantly generates new issues and new ethics questions for policymaking.

The cases found in this volume address a wide range of topics and involve several disciplines. The cases were selected by the parameters of the PRO-RES project and the Horizon 2020 funding call to which it responded. First, the call was concerned with both research ethics and scientific integrity and each of the cases addresses one or both of these areas. The call sought projects that addressed non-medical research, and the cases here address disciplines such as social sciences, engineering, artificial intelligence and One Health. The call also sought particular attention be given to (a) covert research, (b) working in dangerous areas/conflict zones and (c) behavioral research collecting data from social media/internet sources. Hence, we included cases that addressed each of these areas. Finally, while an EU-funded project can be expected to have a European focus, the issues addressed have global implications. Therefore, we wanted to include cases studies from outside Europe and did so by involving authors from India and Africa to reflect on the volume’s areas of interest.

The first case study offered in this volume (Chap. 2 ) examines a significant policy approach taken by the European Union to address ethics and integrity in research and innovation: Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). This chapter examines the lessons that can be learned from RRI in a European context. Chapter 3 elaborates on this topic with another policy learning case study, but this time examining RRI in India. One of the critiques made of RRI is that it can be Euro-centric. This case study examines this claim, and also describes how a distinctively Indian concept, Scientific Temper, can add to and contextualise RRI. Chapter 4 takes a different approach in being a case study of the development of research ethics guidance in the United Kingdom (UK). It explores the history underlying the research ethics framework commissioned by the UK Research Integrity Office (UKRIO) and the Association of Research Managers and Administrators (ARMA), and points to lessons that can be learned about the policy-development process itself.

While staying focused on policy related to research ethics, the chapters that follow include case studies that address more targeted concerns. Chapter 5 examines the impact of the European Union’s (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the Republic of Croatia. Research data collected in Croatia is used to explore the handling of personal data before and after the introduction of GDPR. This case study aims to provide lessons learned that could contribute to research ethics policies and procedures in other European Member States.

Chapter 6 moves from policy itself to the role of policy advisors in policymaking. This case study explores the distinct responsibilities of those elevated to the role of “policy advisor,” especially given the current lack of policy to regulate this field or how its advice is used by policymakers. Next, Chap. 7 straddles the previous chapters’ focus on policy and its evaluation while introducing the focus of the next section on historical case studies. This chapter uses the so-called “race for the superconductor” as a case study by which the PRO-RES ethics framework is used to explore specific ethical dilemmas (PRO-RES 2021b ). This case study is especially useful for policymakers because of how it reveals the multiple difficulties in balancing economic, political, institutional and professional requirements and values.

The next case study continues the use of historical cases, but here to explore the challenges facing innovative research into unorthodox energy technology that has the potential to displace traditional energy suppliers. The wave power case in Chap. 8 highlights how conducting research with integrity can have serious consequences and come with considerable cost. The case also points to the importance of transparency in how evidence is used in policymaking so that trust in science and scientists is promoted at the same time as science is used in the public interest. Another area of cutting-edge scientific innovation is explored in Chap. 9 , but this time looking to the future. This case study examines space exploration, and specifically the ethical issues around establishing safe exposure standards for astronauts embarking on extended duration spaceflights. This case highlights the ethical challenges in policymaking focused on an elite group of people (astronauts) who embark on extremely risky activities in the name of science and humanity.

Chapter 10 moves from the physical sciences to the social sciences. The Belfast Project provides a case study to explore the ethical challenges of conducting research after violent conflict. In this case, researchers promised anonymity and confidentiality to research participants, yet that was overturned through legal proceedings which highlighted the limits of confidentiality in research. This case points to the difficulty of balancing the value of research archives in understanding conflict against the value of providing juridical evidence to promote justice. Another social science case is examined in Chap. 11 , this time in ethnography. This so-called ‘urban explorer’ case study explores the justifications that might exist for undertaking covert research where researchers break the law (in this case by trespassing) in order to investigate a topic that would remain otherwise poorly understood. This case raises a number of important questions for policymakers around: the freedoms that researchers should be given to act in the public interest; when researchers are justified in breaking the law; and what responsibilities and consequences researchers should accept if they believe they are justified in doing so.

Further complexity in research and evidence generation is introduced in Chap. 12 . A case study in One Health is used to explore ethical issues at the intersection of animal, human and environmental ethics. The pertinence of such studies has been highlighted by COVID-19, yet policies lag behind in recognising the urgency and complexity of initiating investigations into novel outbreaks, such as the one discussed here that occurred among animals in Ethiopia. Chapter 13 retains the COVID-19 setting, but returns the attention to technological innovation. Artificial intelligence (AI) is the focus of these two chapters in the volume, here examining the ethical challenges arising from the emergency authorisation of using AI to respond to the public health needs created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Chapter 14 addresses a longer term use of AI in addressing problems and challenges in the legal system. Using the so-called Robodebt case, the chapter explores the reasons why legal systems are turning to AI and other automated procedures. The Robodebt case highlights problems when AI algorithms are built on inaccurate assumptions and implemented with little human oversight. This case shows the massive problems for hundreds of thousands of Australians who became victims of poorly conceived AI and makes recommendations to assist policymakers to avoid similar debacles. The last chapter (Chap. 15 ) draws some general conclusions from all the cases that are relevant when using case studies.

1.7. Into the Future

This volume focuses on ethics in research and professional integrity and how we can be clear about the lessons that can be drawn to assist policymakers. The cases provided cover a wide range of situations, settings, and disciplines. They cover international, national, organisational, group and individual levels of concern. Each case raises distinct issues, yet also points to some general features of research, evidence-generation, ethics and policymaking. All the studies illustrate the difficulties of drawing clear ‘boundaries’ between the research and the context. All these case studies show how in real situations dynamic judgements have to be made about many different issues. Guidelines and policies do help and are needed. But at the same time, researchers, policymakers and everyone else involved in evidence generation and evidence implementation need to embody the virtues that are central to good research. Judgments will need to be made in many areas, for example, about how much transparency can be allowed, or is ethically justified; how much risk can be taken, both with participants’ safety and also with the researchers’ safety; how much information can be disclosed to or withheld from participants in their own interests and for the benefit of the ‘science’; and many others. All of these point to just how difficult it can be to apply common standards across disciplines, professions, cultures and countries. That difficulty must be acknowledged and lead to open discussions with the aim of improving practice. The cases presented here point to efforts that have been made towards this. None of them is perfect. Lessons must be learned from all of them, towards which Chap. 15 aims to be a starting point. Only by openly discussing and reflecting on past practice can lessons be learned that can inform policymaking that aims to improve future practice. In this way, ethical progress can become an essential aspect of innovation in research and evidence-generation.

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PRO-RES is a European Commission-funded project aiming to PROmote ethics and integrity in non-medical RESearch by building a supported guidance framework for all non-medical sciences and humanities disciplines adopting social science methodologies. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 788352. Open access fees for this volume were paid for through the PRO-RES funding.

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ), which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

The images or other third party material in this chapter are included in the chapter's Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the chapter's Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder.

Cite this Page O’Mathúna D, Iphofen R. Making a Case for the Case: An Introduction. 2022 Nov 3. In: O'Mathúna D, Iphofen R, editors. Ethics, Integrity and Policymaking: The Value of the Case Study [Internet]. Cham (CH): Springer; 2022. Chapter 1. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-15746-2_1
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Judging the Ethics of Research
The Case for Cases
Research Design and Causal Inference
Devil’s in the Detail
Cases and Policymaking
The Moral Gain
Into the Future

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Find case studies and scenarios on a variety of fields in applied ethics.

Cases can also be viewed by the following categories:

For permission to reprint cases, submit requests to [email protected] .

Looking to draft your own case studies? This template provides the basics for writing ethics case studies in technology (though with some modification it could be used in other fields as well).

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A dog may be humanity’s best friend. But that may not always be the case in the workplace.

A recent college graduate works in the finance and analytics department of a large publicly traded software company and discovers an alarming discrepancy in sales records, raising concerns about the company’s commitment to truthful reporting to investors.

What responsibility does an employee have when information they obtained in confidence from a coworker friend may be in conflict with the needs of the company or raises legal and ethical questions.

A manager at a prominent multinational company is ethically challenged by a thin line between opportunity for economic expansion in a deeply underserved community, awareness of child labor practices, and cultural relativism.

A volunteer providing service in the Dominican Republic discovered that the non-profit he had partnered with was exchanging his donor money on the black market, prompting him to navigate a series of complex decisions with significant ethical implications.

The CFO of a family business faces difficult decisions about how to proceed when the COVID-19 pandemic changes the business revenue models, and one family shareholder wants a full buyout.

A discussion around the use of cases in teaching RCR, part of the Instructor's Guide to Prepare Research Group Leaders as RCR Mentors .

NOTES TO THE INSTRUCTOR:

You should feel free to choose your own case for this section, or choose several, giving each small group a distinct case to discuss. Given the time constraints of both this workshop and most lab meetings, it would be best for the cases to be relatively uncomplicated, though still nuanced.
While this curriculum provides a basic case analysis scheme, if you use case analyses regularly, you likely know there are several ways of analyzing cases, and many frameworks out there to assist your students, depending on how you use / what you want the students to learn from using the cases. Some of those are included in the resources section of this curriculum; you could provide a couple of different evaluation schemas to determine if one is more appropriate for a particular discipline, or career stage, than another.
If you’re using an agenda which includes an over‐lunch discussion of a case, as the agenda in this instructor’s manual shows, we used the 15 minute window just before lunch to go over the case studies section of the syllabus, coming back to the question “How might cases be introduced into the research environment?” in the after‐lunch discussion.
It is important that the larger group discussion about the case(s) not become simply a discussion of the case per se, but that it also include a conversation about how useful this kind of discussion can be with their students. We found that our groups were eager to discuss the elements of the case, but we had to explicitly articulate the usefulness of such case discussions as tools for integrating ethics into their research environments.
You might also ask your workshop participants if other kinds of “cases” – those drawn from current events, for instance, or those written as “two minute challenges” [https://nationalethicscenter.org/resources/146/download/2MC%20methodology.pdf] – might also work in the research environment.
One of the evaluators of an earlier version of the curriculum noted that these workshops “could include tips on how to identify and choose in‐the‐news cases, challenges in discussing them, and bringing closure to such discussions. Of course an in‐the‐news case discussion would be modeled in the workshop as well. Alternatively, the workshop could promote the idea of providing case study (either created or found) discussion in a context similar to a journal club, or even as an occasional event in existing journal clubs.” This underscores the idea we had when creating this curriculum that all of those venues are considered “the research environment.”

What are case studies?

Based on real or contrived scenarios, case studies are a tool for discussing scientific integrity. Cases are designed to confront the readers with a specific problem that does not lend itself to easy answers. By providing a focus for discussion, cases help researchers to define or refine their own standards, to appreciate alternative approaches to identifying and resolving ethical problems, and to develop skills for dealing with hard problems on their own.

How should cases be analyzed?

Many of the skills necessary to analyze case studies can become tools for responding to real world problems. Cases, like the real world, contain uncertainties and ambiguities. Readers are encouraged to identify key issues, make assumptions as needed, and articulate various options for resolution. In addition to the specific questions accompanying some cases, an effective analysis will typically address the following criteria:

Who is affected (individuals, institutions, a field, society)? What significant interest(s) (material, financial, ethical, other) do those affected have in the situation? Which interests are in conflict ?

What specific, generalizable, and consistent principles (e.g., to tell the truth, to do no harm) are applicable to this case?

Alternate answers

What other courses of action are open to each of those affected? What is the likely outcome of each course of action? What actions could have been taken to avoid the conflict?

Are the final choice and its consequences defensible in public (e.g., reported through the media)?

Is there a right answer?

Acceptable Solutions:

Most problems will have several acceptable solutions or answers, but a single perfect solution often cannot be found. At times, even the best solution will have unsatisfactory consequences.

Unacceptable Solutions:

While more than one acceptable solution may be possible, not all solutions are acceptable. For example, obvious violations of specific rules, regulations, or generally accepted standards of conduct would typically be unacceptable. However, it is also plausible that blind adherence to accepted rules or standards would sometimes be an unacceptable course of action.

Ethical Decision-making:

Ethical decision-making is a process rather than an outcome. The clearest instance of a wrong answer is the failure to engage in that process. Not trying to define a consistent and defensible basis for decisions or conduct is unacceptable.

How might cases be introduced into the research environment?

Cases are best seen as an opportunity to foster discussion among several individuals. As such, they might be most appropriate as an exercise to be used in the context of a research group meeting, journal club, or as part of a research lecture series.

During the lunch break, workshop participants will be assigned to small groups for the purpose of reviewing a case (scenario) describing a research ethics challenge. Ideally discussion group participants should be from diverse disciplines and people who do not already know one another well. This will increase the chance to better see challenges and find solutions for the case being reviewed. It also hopefully serves to increase personal connections among diverse members of the institution who can turn to one another with future ethics and ethics training questions or challenges.

Case for Discussion

How much is too much?

Qiao Zhi has recently arrived to work as a postdoctoral research in the United States from China. She studied English for many years as part of her schooling in China, but she had little real world experience in conversing and writing English. Qiao Zhi is a very talented scientist in her field and quickly found a position in a research group, largely consisting of other Chinese researchers and with Professor Wang, who was trained in China as well. During her first year of work, Qiao Zhi was extraordinarily lucky to have made an interesting finding and Professor Wang encouraged her to write the work up for publication in the journal Science. Qiao Zhi struggled to write the paper in English, but soon found that with the help of the Internet she could easily find phrases written well in English to express concepts that she wasn't sure of. Professor Wang lightly edited the paper written by Qiao Zhi, they submitted it to Science, and it was accepted for publication. Six months later, one of Wang's colleagues was looking at the Déjà vu website (http://dejavu.vbi.vt.edu/dejavu) and discovered that Qiao Zhi's paper received a very high score for using text duplicated from other papers. Wang took the concern of possible plagiarism to the Research Integrity Officer (RIO) at his institution. The RIO appointed a committee to determine if Qiao Zhi should be found guilty of plagiarism, an example of research misconduct. You are a member of that committee and have been asked to decide whether frequent use of phrases from other papers is plagiarism and if doing so should result in sanctions or penalties.

Recommended timetable:

During lunch:

Introductions (5 mins):

Introduce yourselves to one another, pick someone to serve as discussion leader (responsible for keeping discussion on track and on time), and someone to keep a written summary of key conclusions. If not all members of the group have already been introduced to the case, the group leader should read the case aloud.

Case Discussion (20 mins):

Collectively consider the (1) interests of individuals and groups in how this case is handled; (2) ethical principles or values at stake; (3) the alternative answers that might be considered as solutions; and (4) the rationales for selecting a particular choice of action agreeable to all.

Summary (10 mins):

As a group, figure out how best to articulate your findings of interests and principles that are at stake, the alternative answers to be considered, your recommended answer, and the rationale for choosing that answer.

After lunch

Presentation (~ variable)

Choose one member of your group to present your analysis, paying attention not just to the case per se, but also how this kind of exercise could be beneficial for your trainees.

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This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Award No. 2055332. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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Cyber Harassment

After a student defames a middle school teacher on social media, the teacher confronts the student in class and posts a video of the confrontation online.

In many ways, social media platforms have created great benefits for our societies by expanding and diversifying the ways people communicate with each other, and yet these platforms also have the power to cause harm. Posting hurtful messages about other people is a form of harassment known as cyberbullying. Some acts of cyberbullying may not only be considered slanderous, but also lead to serious consequences. In 2010, Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi jumped to his death a few days after his roommate used a webcam to observe and tweet about Tyler’s sexual encounter with another man. Jane Clementi, Tyler’s mother, stated:

“In this digital world, we need to teach our youngsters that their actions have consequences, that their words have real power to hurt or to help. They must be encouraged to choose to build people up and not tear them down.”

In 2013, Idalia Hernández Ramos, a middle school teacher in Mexico, was a victim of cyber harassment. After discovering that one of her students tweeted that the teacher was a “bitch” and a “whore,” Hernández confronted the girl during a lesson on social media etiquette. Inquiring why the girl would post such hurtful messages that could harm the teacher’s reputation, the student meekly replied that she was upset at the time. The teacher responded that she was very upset by the student’s actions. Demanding a public apology in front of the class, Hernández stated that she would not allow “young brats” to call her those names. Hernández uploaded a video of this confrontation online, attracting much attention.

While Hernández was subject to cyber harassment, some felt she went too far by confronting the student in the classroom and posting the video for the public to see, raising concerns over the privacy and rights of the student. Sameer Hinduja, who writes for the Cyberbullying Research Center, notes, “We do need to remain gracious and understanding towards teens when they demonstrate immaturity.” Confronting instances of a teenager venting her anger may infringe upon her basic rights to freedom of speech and expression. Yet, as Hinduja explains, teacher and student were both perpetrators and victims of cyber harassment. All the concerns of both parties must be considered and, as Hinduja wrote, “The worth of one’s dignity should not be on a sliding scale depending on how old you are.”

Discussion Questions

1. In trying to teach the student a lesson about taking responsibility for her actions, did the teacher go too far and become a bully? Why or why not? Does she deserve to be fired for her actions?

2. What punishment does the student deserve? Why?

3. Who is the victim in this case? The teacher or the student? Was one victimized more than the other? Explain.

4. Do victims have the right to defend themselves against bullies? What if they go through the proper channels to report bullying and it doesn’t stop?

5. How should compassion play a role in judging other’s actions?

6. How are factors like age and gender used to “excuse” unethical behavior? (ie. “Boys will be boys” or “She’s too young/old to understand that what she did is wrong”) Can you think of any other factors that are sometimes used to excuse unethical behavior?

7. How is cyberbullying similar or different from face-to-face bullying? Is one more harmful than the other? Explain.

8. Do you know anyone who has been the victim of cyber-bullying? What types of harm did this person experience? Why or why not? Does she deserve to be fired for her actions?

Causing Harm

Causing harm explores the types of harm that may be caused to people or groups and the potential reasons we may have for justifying these harms.

Bibliography

Teacher suspended after giving student a twitter lesson http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/12/world/americas/mexico-teacher-twitter/index.html

Pros and Cons of Social Media in the Classroom http://campustechnology.com/Articles/2012/01/19/Pros-and-Cons-of-Social-Media-in-the-Classroom.aspx?Page=1

How to Use Twitter in the Classroom http://thenextweb.com/twitter/2011/06/23/how-to-use-twitter-in-the-classroom/

Twitter is Turning Into a Cyberbullying Playground http://www.takepart.com/article/2012/08/08/twitter-turning-cyberbullying-playground

Can Social Media and School Policies be “Friends”? http://www.ascd.org/publications/newsletters/policy-priorities/vol17/num04/Can-Social-Media-and-School-Policies-be-%C2%A3Friends%C2%A3%C2%A2.aspx

What Are the Free Expression Rights of Students In Public Schools Under the First Amendment? http://www.firstamendmentschools.org/freedoms/faq.aspx?id=12991

Teacher Shames Student in Classroom After Student Bullies Teacher on Twitter http://cyberbullying.us/teacher-shames-student-in-classroom-after-student-bullies-teacher-on-twitter/

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[Full Length Mock] UPSC Mains GS4: Set#3- Ethics case study on Sridevi, Shah Faisal & Burhan Wani
[Full Length Mock] UPSC Mains GS4: Set#2- Ethics, Integrity, Aptitude with case study on recruitment, Ostracism, Friendship & More
[Full Length Mock] UUPSC Mains GS4: Set#1- Ethics, Integrity, Aptitude incl. Case Studies on Blue Whale Game, Gender Equality, Artistic Freedom
[Download] UPSC Mains-GS4: Topicwise ALL Case Studies & Questions from 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013 papers of Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude

2015: Ethics by Kavan Limbasiya (AIR-198 | CSE-2014)

[Ethics] E1/P1: Human Interface: Types of Judgments, Prerequisite for Ethical scrutiny, Meta Ethics, Applied ethics, Normative-Descriptive ethics
[Ethics] E1/P2: Human Interface: Theories of Ethics- Teleological, Deontological, Virtue Ethics, Conduct Ethics, Rights based, Utilitarianism, Hedonism, Egoism,
[Ethics] E1/P3: Human Values-Role of Family, Society, Educational Institutes; Ethics in Public & Private relations
[Ethics] E2/P1: Attitude- Meaning, Structure, Functions, CAB Model- cognitive, affective, behavioral components
[Ethics] E2/P2: Moral & Political attitude: Types, Factors Affecting, Role of Social Media, Milgram Experiment
[Ethics] E2/P3: Attitude formation & Behavior Change, Persuasion, Prejudice, Discrimination, Stereotyping
[Ethics] E2/P4: Case studies on Attitude, Behavior Change, Persuasion, Prejudice, Discrimination
[Ethics] E3/P1: Aptitude for Civil Services & Foundational Values: Integrity, Probity, Objectivity
[Ethics] E3/P2: Foundation Values-Empathy & Compassion towards the Weak + Case studies & Descriptive Questions
[Ethics] E3/P3: Neutrality, Anonymity, Impartiality- 3 foundational values for civil services
[Ethics] E3/P4: Case studies on Foundational values of Civil Services- objectivity, integrity, impartiality, neutrality, anonymity

Click on the image to start youtube video lecture series!

2014: Articles on Ethics

Here is the list of articles published under [Ethics] series for UPSC CSAT Paper II (decision making) and General Studies Paper IV (ethics) for Civil service IAS IPS Exam.

[Ethics] Suspension: Meaning, Features, Reasons; Death, Resignation, Promotion during suspension & Case Studies
[Ethics] Traps in Bribery case: features, safeguards, Phenolphthalein Test & case studies
[Ethics] Enquries: Preliminary, Discreet, Regular; Prevention of Corruption Act features, Investigation & case studies
[Ethics] Complaints: sources, types, actions, case studies
[Ethics] Conduct rules: Meaning, implication, examples, misconduct vs.crime and case studies
[GS2] Department of Personnel & Training, Vigilance: functions, United Nations Convention against Corruption, fodder points for GS4
[GS2] Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances (DARPG), Sevottam Framework, E-Office
[Ethics] Sample Questions, Case studies for UPSC General studies paper 4 based on Donald Menzel’s book
[Ethics] Samples questions based on ethics courses of San Diego and Texas University
[Ethics] UPSC uploads sample questions for General Studies (GS) Mains Paper 4 (Ethics, Integrity AND Aptitude)

GS4: Mains Syllabus for Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude

This paper will include questions to test the candidates’ attitude and approach to issues relating to integrity, probity in public life and his problem solving approach to various issues and conflicts faced by him in dealing with society. Questions may utilise the case study approach to determine these aspects. The following broad areas will be covered.

Ethics and Human Interface: Essence, determinants and consequences of Ethics in human actions; dimensions of ethics; ethics in private and public relationships.
Human Values – lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and administrators; role of family, society and educational institutions in inculcating values.
Attitude: content, structure, function; its influence and relation with thought and behaviour; moral and political attitudes; social influence and persuasion.
Aptitude and foundational values for Civil Service , integrity, impartiality and non-partisanship, objectivity, dedication to public service, empathy, tolerance and compassion towards the weaker-sections.
Emotional intelligence-concepts, and their utilities and application in administration and governance.
Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and world.
Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration: Status and problems; ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions; laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance; accountability and ethical governance; strengthening of ethical and moral values in governance;
Ethical issues in international relations and funding; corporate governance.
Probity in Governance: Concept of public service; Philosophical basis of governance and probity; Information
sharing and transparency in government, Right to Information, Codes of Ethics, Codes of Conduct, Citizen’s
Charters, Work culture, Quality of service delivery, Utilization of public funds, challenges of corruption.
Case Studies on above issues.

Study Guides
Homework Questions

An Ethical Dilemma Case Study Analysis

How to Answer GS 4 Ethics Paper in UPSC Mains

Note : This is a free chapter from my book, Fundamentals of Essay and Answer Writing. I have previously published two excerpts on GS-2 and Introductions to Essay . The book has similar detailed chapters on Essay and answer writing for GS-1,2,3,4, including the Anthropology optional. You can get the book here.

GS-IV can be confounding. That’s because the questions in this paper tend to be subjective with no single correct answer. There can be multiple ways to answer a particular question and all of them might be right. Hence, though aspirants are clear about the syllabus, they are often confused about how to answer ethics questions. Given this subjectivity and confusion pertaining to this paper, it becomes challenging to come up with a convincing framework for answer writing. However, some broad principles can guide us in structuring our responses.

In this chapter, we will go through some of those guidelines that can help you argue your case more clearly and make your ethics answer compelling.

GS- IV syllabus can be divided into two segments:

I. Theory II. Case Studies

In this portion (and to some extent in case studies) questions are usually of three types. One, the definition of an ethical value; two, the significance of the value; and three, the application of that value in our daily lives. To put it simply, theory questions ask you to explain a value along with examples.

Let’s take the term integrity. Three questions that could be asked about it are:

What do you understand by integrity? [Definition of the value]
What is the importance of integrity? In its absence, what are the consequences for an individual, society, country or in different walks of life? [Significance of the value]
What are the challenges in cultivating integrity? How do you overcome them? [Application of the value]You may substitute other ethical values for integrity to guess the kind of questions you may face in the test. Anticipate such questions and formulate a basic answer to all ethical terms given in the syllabus. This exercise will help you immensely in preparing for the theory portion.

Prepare a Definition for Each of the Terms in the Syllabus

If the question pertains to a specific ethical value, you must introduce the answer with a crisp definition, followed by an example. The definition can be a personal one, reflecting what it means to you.

Example 1: Integrity

Integrity means being honest and doing the right thing even when nobody is watching you. It can be conveyed through a simple example: Stopping at a red light signal at 3am in the night, even when the entire road was clear. This is an example of my integrity.

Example 2: Leadership

Leadership is the act of motivating a group of people towards achieving a common goal. Leadership provides inspiration, motivation and a vision for the future. Eg: Mahatma Gandhi showed exemplary leadership to unite the country in the fight for independence.

Always prefer a simple definition and avoid jargon. Simplicity is clarity. Another useful way of introducing your answers is by starting with an interesting quote and then proceeding to define the term.

Example 1: When you are answering a question on Emotional Intelligence, it can be started with the following quote: “As much as 80% of adult success comes from EQ” – Daniel Goleman

Example 2: A question on RTI can be introduced with this quote: “RTI is the master key to Good Governance” – 2nd ARC

Value mapping

In this exercise, you think of an eminent personality and then map him or her onto the values they stood for.

Below is a table with some examples of prominent leaders. You can add other values that you think match with a particular leader and repeat this exercise for all eminent persons.

As you map values onto the list of the most important leaders, philosophers, or administrators, it will become easier to recollect and quote relevant thinkers in your answers to give weight to your Ethical analysis.

Flow charts and Diagrams

For some topics such as Emotional Intelligence, Good Governance, and Civil Service Values, illustrating their features through flowcharts and diagrams makes your answers concise and neat. Prepare these flowcharts and diagrams beforehand and incorporate them in your mock tests so that it becomes easier to use them in the final test.

Ethics flow charts that can be used in UPSC Mains GS-4 Exam.

Make a database of real life examples

Examples are what make your answer come alive. They not only make the concept clearer, but also convey how the ethical principles and conflicts manifest in real life. Without them, an ethics answer would be a pointless theoretical rambling. Remember that the examiner is not evaluating how much you know about ethics. They want to see how well you can apply those principles in your day-to-day life. For this, examples are crucial.

Some important sources from which to collect these examples are:

Newspapers — When you read the newspaper, look out for interesting incidents and news that can be used in your ethics paper. There are tons of examples that are reported everyday. For example, when you read about ‘Selfie with Daughter’ campaign, you must be able to correlate with ‘Social persuasion’ topic of the syllabus. Or, say, a newsarticle about civil servants working in remote districts of the country and how they are transforming them for the better. Even happenings in international affairs can be used as examples. Think of Cyber espionage, Syrian refugee crisis, Snowden controversy, Cambridge Analytica scandal and the moral issues pertaining to big tech companies like Facebook and Google. Such everyday examples are numerous, all you have to do is to link it with the syllabus and note them down for future reference.
Personal Life (School, College, Family) : Littering on the street, jumping a traffic signal, cheating on a test, lying to your parents, shirking work at office. You can think of many examples from your everyday life to quote in your answers. Also, don’t restrict yourself to your own perspective. For instance, there might have been cases of extreme ragging in a certain college and the administration might have turned a blind eye to it in order to protect its image. You can discuss such ethical violations from other’s perspective which has come to your knowledge.
Workplace : Every profession has its peculiar set of ethical dilemmas. So when you are brainstorming for examples, think of doctors, lawyers, teachers, engineers, civil servants etc and imagine the moral challenges they might come across in their respective professions. For instance, a lawyer defending a client who is guilty faces an ethical dilemma. An SDM who has to protect government lands and remove encroachments might, in the process, make some poor families homeless. Once you brainstorm, you will have a rich repository of such examples to cite from in your theory answers and case studies.
From the Lives of Leaders, Philosophers, and Administrators: Anecdotes, actions, stories, and quotes from the lives of eminent personalities can also be used as examples to drive your argument. Even mythology can be a rich resource to collect good examples. Lincoln’s fight against slavery is an example of moral courage. Dr. Kalam’s commitment to space and nuclear field is a testament to his professional competence.
Crowdsourcing: Many online portals such as Insights, IASBABA, ForumIAS, CivilsDaily run a daily module for answer writing practice. Sift through them and you will find some really good answers other people are writing. Reading these can help you build a blueprint for makes an excellent example and prepare your own list.The point of this exercise is to have enough examples for different kinds of situations so that you can easily pick the right one in the right context without wasting much time in the exam hall.

II. Case studies

More than the theory part, case studies bring out our ethical dilemmas and logical reasoning sharply. Done well, they can propel your score beyond 110. Gone wrong, they may restrict your marks to under 90.

The purpose of case studies is to make you ready for the field experience. Once you enter the civil service, you may face situations in which competing values clash. Would you strictly adhere to rules or stay flexible at times to help the needy? Would you suspend an erring subordinate, thereby curtailing his income, or overlook his misdeeds and close it with a warning, considering his dependent family? These are the real-life situations a civil servant confronts on a daily basis. Through case studies, the examiner can understand how you might behave if you were in a similar situation. So, one of the foremost tips (and one of the obvious) is to put yourself in the shoes of an administrator, and consider yourself a problem solver. This makes the whole exercise enjoyable and inevitably your answers exude passion and cogent articulation.

In this component, we will go through some pointers which can help you answer the case studies well.

A standard framework for answers

Having a concrete framework ready while answering gives a sense of flow, coherence and structure to your case study. Else, it

faces the risk of steering away from the question and exceeding the word limit. Therefore, it’s helpful to categorise your answer under the following subheadings:

• Subject Matter : Briefly in a line or two, capture the entire case study. E.g. In a case Study dealing with an IAS aspirant heading for Interview but sees an accident on the way, subject Matter could be: Dilemma between achieving career ambition and responding to the accident as a good samaritan.

• Stakeholders : List down the set of people who would be directly and indirectly affected in the case. For instance, you are the CEO of a PSU which is facing severe unionism and strikes, affecting company profits. Stakeholders are yourself, employees, government, public at large, local families, investors, and shareholders. You may also represent this information through a spoke and wheel diagram.

UPSC Ethics GS-4 Diagram. Ethics paper Flow chart.

• EthicalDilemmas/KeyPrinciples :Enumeratetheethicalissues in the case study. This is a crucial part of your answer since you explicitly mention the conflicting values you face in your judgement. For instance, in a case involving mining in a tribal inhabited forest, ethical issues will be: development vs. nature conservation; public interest vs protection of tribal land rights; economic growth vs equitable prosperity. Mention these issues in bullet points, sequentially.

• Options Available to You : Write 3-4 choices you have in the scenario, along with the pros and cons of choosing each alternative. Two choices inevitably will be the extreme options, which are generally avoided as your choice. The remaining ones should be the practical courses of action you wish to pursue.

• Choosing an Option : Under this subheading, write about the course of action which can be a combination of the above mentioned options. It should be followed by clear articulation of your arguments (more on this below) along with quotes and examples to substantiate your point of view. The best option to choose in any given situation is not the most original but the most practical. If you come up with a spectacular innovative idea, but isn’t easily implementable, it’s as good as doing nothing. Search for options that can be executed amidst the constraints a govt servant faces. For instance, let’s say in your district, tribals are agitating against a mining company planning to raze the forests and explore the mineral wealth. In such a case, a decision to put a complete ban or a moratorium on mining in your district is impractical and sub-optimal. By

prohibiting any form of mining, you will not help the cause of tribals who would have benefited from the new employment opportunities in the region. So choose an option in which you balance competing interests.

Articulation

Articulation is the beating heart of a case study answer. This follows ‘choosing an option’ section we discussed above.

In this segment, you reason out why you chose a particular option and elaborate on the further of course of action. More than the option you choose, it is the reasoning that led you to choose that particular option that matters more. It’s helpful to narrate from the first person point of view: Use I, wherever possible. It will personalise your answer and therefore carries the weight of a good argument. But, use your discretion based on your experiences on which perspective you want to use.

The course of action you wish to pursue must be mentioned in detail, enumerating the steps clearly. Put yourself in the shoes of the administrator, dive into the details, and make your answer as vivid and concrete as possible. Let me illustrate this through the following examples:

Consider a case study dealing with gender issues in the district. Don’t write something vague saying you will ensure women empowerment in the area. Describe concrete steps by writing on

the lines of: I will try to set up a livelihood opportunity based on their skills, help them produce marketable goods, procure that material in all govt departments, and then encourage local private sector to buy these goods. Quote examples of successful models like SEWA, Prajwala, Lijjat papad etc.

In a case relating to negligent monitoring of government schemes or projects, instead of saying I will collaborate with NGOs to ensure third party accountability, a better way of conveying would be: “I will speak to the reputed local NGOs, hold a meeting with them to take their views. I will give them specific inputs as to when they can go and inspect the schemes and project works discreetly and report to me in person or through WhatsApp.” You can substantiate with a real life example how such Socialcops played a terrific role in effective implementation of Ujjwala Yojana.

Consider a hypothetical case in which you are posted as the DM of a resource-poor district that has a history of vector-borne disease outbreaks. Monsoon season is approaching and you have to prepare for the challenge with limited funds at your disposal. You can narrate the following concrete steps. “Based on the previous years’ data, I will rank specific blocks in terms of their vulnerability and prioritise these hotspots for immediate attention. Fogging shall be done and anti-mosquito nets shall be distributed to these blocks on priority. Intense training sessions will be provided for ASHAs to help them detect of malaria/dengue promptly. I will use the District Mineral Fund (if available) and local CSR funds to procure rapid diagnostic kits. I shall designate every Friday as Dry-day where households in the district will be encouraged to drain out

stagnant water along with conducting a weekly review meeting with all health workers from village level to district level to assess preparedness and correct any issues.”

For a case on eradicating child marriages in a remote area, instead of saying “I will ensure awareness on the subject and adherence to law”, write— “I will take part in bi-weekly Gram Sabha sessions and make the community take a pledge against child marriages. I shall encourage rallies by school children and officers of all government departments. To monitor the on ground situation, I shall depute my officers as special officers responsible for set of blocks where they will tour, discreetly inspect and report back to me. I will monitor complaints and grievances on the issue and ensure a resolution within 30 days.” It helps to mention Govt. schemes like Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana or slogans such as Meri Beti-Mera Garv.

In a case where you, as the Chief, must change the work culture in your office— “At the start of every month, I will conduct a one-on-one meeting with each of my officers, take them into confidence and set mutually agreed goals. At the end of the month, I shall review each officer’s performance against these preset goals and rate them as per objective criteria. Best performers shall be given a letter of appreciation under my letterhead and put a copy of it on the notice board for others to see. The laggards shall be given a warning and if they don’t heed, I will initiate disciplinary action as per the rules to ensure deterrence.”

I don’t mean to say these are the only solutions to these case studies. The point is whatever be your decision, be concrete and specific. It will strike the examiner as practical and implementable.

Towards the end of your answer, quoting a relevant thinker’s opinion or quote gives credence to your decision. For instance, if the ethical issue is about professional integrity, E Sreedharan and his leadership in executing a complex rail project should be quoted as an example. Or let’s take a case study in which you are faced with a decision whether to give clearance to an important road project through a National Park (thereby helping the government save taxpayer’s money) or devising an alternate, but more expensive option (thereby preserving the ecosystem, but hurting govt finances). If you opt for the second option, you can stress on the importance of environmental economics and end with a quote saying:

As environmentalist Wangari Maathai said, “We need to promote development that does not destroy our environment”.

Just the addition of the above sentence makes the argument more powerful. Your arguments now have the moral backing of an eminent personality. The value mapping exercise we did for the theory section will be helpful here. So for every case study, try and add such relevant quotes to substantiate your points. It will show that you not only read the works of those eminent people, but also understand how to apply their teachings in real-life.

Observe Time Limit

There is a tendency among aspirants to dedicate disproportionate time to case studies. But, remember that they are worth only 120 marks. Irrespective of whether you start with theory portion or the case studies, dedicate time proportionate to their weightage for marks. So for case studies, you should spend the maximum of 90 minutes i.e. 15 minutes per case study.

Further, you should realise that UPSC can change how it distributes marks across questions, but it cannot change the 250 marks assigned to a paper (without prior notice). So, whatever be the number of questions or distribution of marks across those questions, your target must be to write 80 marks worth of answers in the first hour, another 80 in the second hour and 90 in the final hour. This translates to 40 marks in the initial 30 minutes. So whether you start with Part A or Part B, aim to finish questions worth 40 marks in the first half-hour and then repeat this process. Always have an eye on the clock and if you think you are falling behind time, accelerate.

Gain Adequate Practice

Ethics paper has an emphasis on articulation and practical examples, which comes only with adequate practice. Besides, case studies across the years tend to have similar themes and ideas. So answering a lot of these beforehand will give you a sense of confidence to tackle any type of question.

III. Sample Answers

Q. How could social influence and persuasion contribute to the success of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan? (10 Marks)

Social influence is the process through which a person’s attitudes, opinions, or behaviour are changed through social communication. Persuasion is a method of social influence.

Social influence and persuasion contribute to Swacch Bharat Abhiyan (SBA) through:

• Behavioural change among all the stakeholders : By changing attitude toward open defecation in the society through campaigns and media. E.g: Darwaza Band campaign and rallies by school children to build awareness

• Social pressure and peer pressure : By naming and shaming people who don’t have toilets, they will be forced to build one.

E.g: Children persuading their parents, Gram sabhas reading out names of households without toilets. Positive peer pressure in the form of prizes and rewards for building and using toilets can also help people change.

• Role-Model effect: When celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan persuade for SBA, it can bring about a change in orthodox opinions about open defecation.

• Community Ownership : Through Gram Swachhdhoots, SBA can be made community driven to make it . Such persuasive methods were very successful in Bangladesh.

• Healthy competition among stakeholders : through initiatives like Swacch Survekshan.

Thus social Influence and persuasion techniques, by effectively targeting the social psyche and behaviour can accelerate the goal of Swacch Bharat Mission.

Q. You are aspiring to become an IAS officer and you have cleared various stages and now you have been selected for the personal interview. On the day of the interview, on the way to the venue you saw an accident where a mother and child who happen to be your relatives were badly injured. They needed immediate help. What would you have done in such a situation? Justify your action. (25 Marks)

Subject matter: Dilemma between achieving career ambition Vs responding to accident as a good samaritan.

Stakeholders involved: The mother, child, me, my family, society at large and the UPSC.

Ethical dilemmas :

• Personal ambitions vs. Moral responsibility to help others • Being punctual to the interview vs Saving life • Personal and family’s dream to be civil servant vs Moral

obligation to relatives

Options Available

Final Course of action

I shall choose the last option because I have a moral responsibility to help the victims, and a personal responsibility to myself, my family and my career. I worked hard to reach the interview stage, so it makes sense to balance both these obligations.

So my immediate response would be to quickly move the victims to my cab. Using Google Maps, I’ll check for nearby hospitals and find the shortest route possible to get there. I will call the hospital and ask them to arrange emergency services by the time we reach.

Along the way, I will also call the relatives’ family and ask them to reach the hospital. I will admit the victim to the hospital and pay any charges, if required. If it gets late for the relatives to reach, I will entrust the cab driver to kindly look after her, pay him his waiting charges and proceed to the interview.

In the meantime, I will also check if I can reach out to anyone who can inform the interview panel about my situation and that I may reach late. If I do get delayed, I will make every attempt to convince the authorities involved as to the reasons why it happened. As soon as the interview is done, I will come back to the hospital and check on the victims’ condition and help them in anyway I can.

As remarked by Gandhiji “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others” . By helping people, we not only make the world a better place but also stay true to our conscience. It leads to harmony, balancing social good with personal ambition.

41 thoughts on “ How to Answer GS 4 Ethics Paper in UPSC Mains ”

Hey anudeep, thank you so much for the invaluable insights you have provided us in your book. Its a wonderful piece of your hard work. I got so much to learn from it. Thank you so much. God bless you 🙂

Glad to hear that. Thank you!

क्या आपकी पुस्तक हिंदी में या फिर English में

Sir please can you tell me that this is ebook or it is hard copy?Will it be delivered to our home?

Sir meru guidance esthara

Sir how you learn fluent english Please give reply sir

respected sir , i have made the payment of 389 for essay answer writing book and videos but still it is showing to pay the amount . how should i access the book ? plz reply it would be helpful for me . thanking u regards maithili

Anna nv super anna I am full inspired

Sir which pen you used??

Sir start the YouTube channel for village people’s

Meru e book videos freega endhuku cheyatam ledhu, afford cheyaleni aspirants me valuble suggestions ela telusukuntaru ?

Kya main BA karke CSE apply karskta ho Apki 5 tips aur konsi konsi books Leno chahiye…

Good Evening sir, I want to write GS paper in English and take Hindi Literature. It’s possible or not.

Yes,Of course. Explanation: If your optional is a literature paper then you have to write those optional papers in that very language. Except them, all papers, Essay and G.S I, II, III, IV are to be written only in Hindi or English. So, You can choose English as your medium and Hindi Literature as your optionals.

Wonderful Sir Salute to your hard work and perseverance You are a true IAS officer,dedicated to Steve your country’s people.

Sir. 1.May I know which online platform for prelims and mains test series is the good one ? 2 .whether to join integrated prelims and mains or separate prelims and separate mains test series? 3.what is the right time to join ?

Sir I am unable to open the video lectures of your book..as those videos are unsupported in my mobile…sir Its a …….please send me those videos in my gmail account as your each video and lecture is very important to me and all the upsc aspirants..

Really it is very helpful for the beginners.. Thank you so much anudeep sir.

for beginners it will give full clarity on how be a good thinker and on track aspirants it will give value addition. we good to see u providing this enormous information which u are giving for aspirants. THANK YOU BRO..KEEP ON GIVE THIS BOOST TO ASPIRANTS

Sir Thankyou very much for this book .Immensely helpful.Sir is your book enough for upsc preparation if we understand it and like this way.

Will you release new editions in the upcoming years?? Or is this book useful for upsc 2022 please reply sir….

Sir is this only e-book or can I get its hard copy ? If yes can I know how to get it .

Thanks a ton sir! What an exaplanation you have presented before us. I cleared all doubts and ambiguities related to paper 4. thanks again sir .love you sir..

Thank you sir

Tnq so much resp. Sir..! Valuable guidance for us…To clear all doubts regarding paper IV.🙏

Hello Sir, Your ethics notes are very concise and effective and I am grateful to you for providing these notes. One thing i can’t make out is the LMR you’ve written at certain places with an highlighter. Please decode this puzzle so that I can be at peace.😭🙏

‘Last Minute Revision’ 🙂

Thanks a lot sir ji one day i will join in your group

Thank u very much sir 😊 such a wonderful explanation for the beginers like me. Keep going in writing such awesome books like this. Actually sreaching for good network ,I think this is the correct platform for not only me but also all the asparents … Thank u sir from the bottom of the heat 😁

Hello Sir, but sir from where i get all quotes.

Your advice is solid. This is amazingly articulated with detailed suggestions. Thank you so much for this. Hope you’re doing well as an IAS officer, best wishes.

Sir it’s an honour to have read this chapter! Thanks a lot for publishing the book! I’ve placed my order and am eagerly awaiting. Thanks once again, Sir. I believe that you are a blessing to all the aspirants. I hope to clear the exam with flying colors and meet you in person to share my respect and admiration for you! I’m from Hyderabad and it feels so proud to be associated with the land where you come from. Believe me, coming from the bottom of my heart. 🙏😊

A warm good afternoon sir! the way you present your answers really awesome sir. sir my small request you to present upsc prelims and mains best books to aspirants ,to clear upsc.

Thank you so much sir for giving well knowledge about answer writing in UPSC mains iam froam Warangal I hope that iam become a civil servant with your blessings sir..

I have to appear in CSE in 2024…so when should I start preparing Ethics..?

Sir please start YouTube channel sir for village people sir

If above case studies come true in life, should I persue the same as given in elaboration. And if I got delayed, I would be entertained for the interview…if “yes” its ok and if not… I can go with court help..

Now it’s clear that how to score good in ethics. Thank you so much for this. 😊

Hello sir , Good evening

Sir i want to write my gs and essay papers in regional language. and going to choose literature of that language too. But the thing is authentic material is not available in this language …so i have decided to read in eng. And translate in my notes in my language….is it advisable ?? Or should i improve my english writing skills ? Or can i reach that level of eng. Writing in a year ?

Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude

The page on “Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude for UPSC” by Rau’s IAS is a comprehensive Notes, meticulously compiled to cater to the aspirants of the UPSC Civil Services Exam. It delves into various facets of ethics, including human interface, attitude, and aptitude, while also exploring emotional intelligence, contributions of moral thinkers, and the role of ethics in public administration.

Ethics and Human Interface

Meaning and Scope of Ethics
What Ethics is Not
Essence of Ethics
Sources/Factors Affecting Ethics
Determinants of Ethics in Human Actions
Consequences of Ethics in Human Actions
Dimension of Ethics
Environmental Ethics
Media Ethics
Social Media Ethics
Medical Ethics
Biotechnology and Ethics
Ethics in Private and Public Relationship
Human Values
Features and Classifications of Human Values
Fundamental Human Values
Role of Family in Human Values
Role of Education in Human Values
Role of Society in Human Values
Meaning, Structure & Dimension of Attitude
Types & Nature of Attitude
Relation of Attitude & Behaviour
Relation of Attitude and Values
Function of Attitude
Development of Attitude
Moral & Political Attitudes
Methods to Changing the Attitude
Social Influence
Social Persuasion
Nudge: A tool of Social Influence
Elements or Components of Persuasion
Process of Persuasion
Technique of Persuasion
Persuasion Versus Manipulation
Meaning and Types of Aptitude
Attitude Versus Aptitude
Importance of Identifying Your Aptitude
Aptitude for Civil Services
Identification and Realisation of Aptitude
Relation between Aptitude and the other Qualities
Foundational Values of Civil Services
Objectivity
Empathy and Compassion Towards the Weaker Section
Dedication to Public Service
Impartiality
Non-Partisanship
Civil Services Neutrality
Accountability and Responsibility

Emotional Intelligence

Meaning and Types of Emotions
Similar Terms Related to Emotions
Function of Emotions
Intelligence
Types of Intelligence
Relation Between Emotions & Intelligence
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Ethics Case Study: Personal Ethics vs Professional Ethics

Last updated on August 24, 2023 by Alex Andrews George

Ethics Case Study No: 4: Personal Ethics vs Professional Ethics [ClearIAS.com]

Question: You are a strong religious believer since childhood and have been an active participant in your religious institution. When you grew up, you became the administrative authority in the locality where the religious institution belongs. One day your superior informs you that the mentioned religious institution is an illegal construction on a government property and needs to be demolished.

You are shocked to hear this and upon verification found the information passed by your superior is true. You, like thousands visiting the place, have emotional attachment to the institution. Your personal ethics and religious values are holding you back from taking the initiative to demolish the illegal construction, but your profession demands so. Besides, you fear the destruction of such an institution may fuel communal violence.

Being born in a religious family, it’s not easily digestible for you to carry the tag of ‘demolisher of one’s own religious institution’. You fear that the act will turn you against your own community. This situation pulls you into an emotional and ethical dilemma.

Is the above case a conflict between personal ethics and professional ethics? What will be your response?

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Reader Interactions

September 25, 2016 at 1:24 pm

First thing i will not allow to do that illegal construction

September 25, 2016 at 2:00 pm

i will directly demolish the relogious construction

November 10, 2016 at 11:11 pm

There’s a middle path tht can be adopted. Demolition of tht building is the rightful choice. But being the administrator of tht area law and order too is under the officer. Hence, rather than outright coerced demolition, involve various stake holders, civil society groups etc to evolve at a peaceful option.

Secondly, the said religious institution has been in, existence for many years. No concerned authority ever questioned tht construction. Hence, the underlying vested intetest, if any, should also be examined.

Thirdly, i ll give notice to the religious establishment about the illegality of the place and its imminent demolition. If needed, let them go to the court to fight their case. Legal option should be given to them. A lil more delay in demolishing the structure is desirable than causing alienation nd law&order problems in the area.

So a balanced approach is more advisable.

November 1, 2017 at 12:46 pm

Full marks. 👍👏👏

August 5, 2018 at 12:06 am

I thought for the same answer buddy

April 11, 2017 at 4:35 pm

According to my ethical knowledge that their should a middle path be followed, in which we can talk to religious authorities of the locality, and find the solution for the particular situation. The leader of the religious authorities, can be asked to build an other temple or religious insitute so teir would be no communal riots, also a meeting between the administration and the people can be organize to solve the issue.

August 13, 2017 at 3:32 pm

1) To be demolished if it is creating problem to traffic or public. 2) where many public (govt.) are using for religious purpose,the trust as to be made under govt supervision.

February 20, 2018 at 8:22 pm

First i believe on my profession……..I know my profession is right way for the welfare of my nation’ for the welfare of the people who belong to my nation and infact for the welfare of whole humanity . so if my profession is so good..Now I will make it in the notice of the authorised people of that area…If they are good knowlegable person..then they also know that every religion follows good principles……so they will agree to demolish that illegal construction..If not then I without any hesitation will do what my profession demands…because that ultimately will be for the welfare of those people..

January 23, 2019 at 5:10 pm

1.first that construction must not supported or allowed. 2.Incase we found ,there must hold an intermediate path to talk and show profond with religion dignitaries their motivation can uplift the motivation of fallowers. 3.Substitute place with place through govt funds. 4.provide the examples of other institutions that have been replaced or demolished for convinence

June 4, 2021 at 1:22 pm

gov funds cant be used for the construction of religious institutions.. basic polity

April 14, 2019 at 5:36 pm

Individual temple – illegal,then I actually action the issue.but public temple- legal right then support to public. I confirmed that senior officer it is all right issue.

June 12, 2019 at 11:56 am

Firstly, apart from the answer i will want ro tell you all that i will answer in a way like i would answer this question in the upsc answer sheet…..

Answer: In my opinion we should not directly compare or connect our personal and professional life So keeping in mind this statement my decision over this would not hury any one’s religious emotions and also would not effect law and order and even my profession. The decision which i would firstly take is to examine the illegality of the place. If possible i will first try to recover that. If not so i would just demolish it but in peaceful manner then i would try to rwopwn it in a near by place so it would not hurt the emotions of the people and would not cause any conflict . On e more thing which i would do is to take written notice from my superior to safe gurantee my job. The noticw would be that all the conflicts caused will be handled by him or her and he or she will undertake them

June 12, 2019 at 1:27 pm

Being as an administrator it’s my responsibility to keep peace and tranquility in the area.secondly any illegal construction should be avoided or demolished.in order to handle the situation, I first call a meeting of all the stack holders and try to sorted out the issue peacefully .In case of failure, Will see the significance of the land occupied . whether the religious place hinder the road or any utility of public importance.if any of such thing is going on I will take immediate action.otherwise I try my best to persuade the community group.and try to convince them on religious and moral ground that such construction is against the religious principles.since worship required a place which should not be property of a public.because every religion and non religious group have equal right over it. Since I am a firm believer of my faith, it’s against my conscience to worship and use it for religious purposes.

February 13, 2022 at 2:30 am

Yes, it is my partly personal issue with the superior as well as it is my localities too, . My response towards this situation are:

1. Meeting with the concer authority of that institute. 2. Explains about what my superior said. 3. Being illegally constructed, I also suggest to demolish to concer authority in the discussion. 4. If the authorities are seems to be totally opposed to demolished it than i shall be informed to my superior. Hence, I will be also trying to build such a Institute near future if existing institution is desconstructed, so that my localities can worship freely as people know that *right to religion* is one of the provisions contain in the Indian Constitution.

December 7, 2019 at 12:27 pm

I would certainly chose the middle path. First responsibility of an administrator is to ensure that law and order is maintained in the area and second responsibility falls on him to get the land clear from illegal construction. To achieve this, I would first go with the formal notice to the relevant authorities of the religious institution with an adequate time for them to consider the all open option to them. At the same time, informing general public in the near vicinity is also the responsibility of the administrator to avoid any shock to them of demolition of building without any prior information. For sure, authorities should be given enough time to think and if they want to exercise their democratic right of being heard in court. That also should be given to them. After taking all parties (Religious institution’s authorities and public of neighbourhood) into confidence, I would go ahead with the clearing of land.

August 14, 2020 at 11:11 pm

In my opinion-particularly in that situation , As a religious believer it became very emotionally attached to my personal life but being an administrator; firstly give notice to that head of particular region,the civil society member,village head and other. :I also examine that area that really it was a illegal construction or not , :If it is illegal then i find the solution for if ,if there is no solution for that , :i give them a chance to go to high court and fight for their case :if they are not taking thus solution ,then definitely i demolish that religious institution which is stands illegal place..

August 19, 2020 at 1:31 pm

In my opinion we should not to interconnect both personal feeling and professional duties .First effective method i will be doing is to study the matter properly .Conduct meetings with the followers and the administration .Hear thier oppinion and come to a solution such as building a religious institution somewhere near to the old institution so that it does not hurt their religious and spiritual sentiments.Demolishing should be done according to law and order.

November 17, 2021 at 8:00 pm

I need a case study reference

April 10, 2022 at 12:52 pm

When you are suffer this situation that related to religion and administrative duties. Former duty is analysed the illegal construction site personally,and understand the situation of authority and concerns with the authority, When authority not agree with your suggestion than you take action against the authority and demolished the institute that construction illegal site

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